Playing Games
by ArafelSedai
Summary: Several weeks after the events of Countdown have passed...there is some fallout, but not the kind either of them expect.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is just a half dream that has been rattling around in my head for several months... For whatever reason this is the first time I actually put it to print...and it still surprised me. I guess I'm missing _any_ Castle episode tonight and had to fill in until next week. Yeah...and I'm wondering how things are going to work out with the Josh thing.

* * *

The game had taken on a decidedly dangerous turn.

He knew that he had pushed her…perhaps a little too far… and by the way she was looking at him the fallout wasn't going to be pretty.

It was the first time they had spent any time alone together since the near catastrophic events involving domestic terrorism. Although he continued to come to the precinct and assist, he had withdrawn from their usual banter and verbal repartee. He knew she was aware of the change, because he'd caught her watching him with perplexed hurt eyes several times. Those were the times that he wanted to grab her and shake her until her teeth rattled…._how the hell could she be such a fine detective and not get it_!

So, after today's case had been wrapped up and he had left for home he certainly hadn't expected to hear from her. He certainly hadn't expected her to show up on his front door already a little tipsy. Worse, he hadn't expected to allow her inside and not send her home in a cab. Hadn't expected to pull a fresh bottle of wine out …

So, here they were trapped in a game of "truth or dare". _Not his idea for once_.

Both his mother and his daughter gone for the remainder of the night.

Castle sighed heavily and met her blazing green eyes.

So, perhaps he should not have indicated that Josh wasn't what she wanted…what she needed.

"I don't think so." She bit out, surprising him with her answer. He sat gaping at her with his mouth open and before he could respond she snapped "Truth or Dare?"

He blinked at her, but gave her (and maybe him) an out. "Dare."

She looked him up and down coolly. "Stand up. Stand up and just stand there…for 10 minutes you can't move, you can't talk…nothing. You think you can do that for a whole ten minutes?"

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Because I don't think nine year olds on a sugar rush can do that."

He blinked at her again and half snickered. _This was his payback? This was how she repaid such a stupid personal question_? "Oh I can do that…I've stayed still and quiet longer when playing laser tag with Alexis just waiting for her to make a mist…"

"Castle", she snapped interrupting. "Do you take the dare?"

He closed his mouth and winked at her, thinking she was really giving him a break. He should have known better**.**

He stood up and cocked his head; raised his brow; and said nothing. She reached over and picked up his phone, then set the alarm for ten minutes. As soon as she set the phone down she stood up herself. He flinched, but she didn't hit him…then he fretted that she was going to just walk out without even letting him apologize. In a few moments, he was wishing that he had never taken the dare.

Beckett moved up close to him and met his eyes. His widened and hers narrowed. She slowly walked around him, stopping when she was behind him.

Castle could feel the hair on his neck stand up and his muscles actually twitched when she finally touched him. _Touched _him.

Her hands started low at his back and smoothed up towards his shoulders. Fingers dipped into his collar playing lightly at the exposed skin.

He shuddered.

Kate smirked behind him…and began to torture him in earnest.

Slowly, she came around to stand in front of him, never taking her hands off of him. She bit her lower lip softly when she heard the catch and hiss in his breathing. She didn't meet his eyes, but she continued to move her fingers in a dance down his chest.

Castle swallowed.

Beckett moved her fingers to the buttons of his shirt…starting at the bottom and working her way up. When the last button slipped from its hold her fingers drifted up and across his shoulders and down his arms; taking the shirt with them. She stilled for a moment and it was only through years of control that she didn't give herself away right there. Castle's exposed chest was somewhat overwhelming. Her fingers pressed into him and slid back to his chest letting her nails scrape against his nipples.

Castle sucked in his breath.

Fingers gave way to her hand stroking across flesh…

Castle's eyes were boring into her; willing her to look at him; willing her to stop this…_or not. Dear God but she felt good! _

She finally glanced at him and he nearly lost himself in her darkened eyes. His hands twitched, wanting to touch her; bring her flush against him, but he held himself still somehow.

When she leaned into him and brought her mouth to his turgid nipple he actually gasped for air. She moaned in response and continued her onslaught. Teeth and tongue alternatively scraping and soothing along his exposed skin. Her hands worked in tandem, continuing to trace and lead the way for her lips. She moved up and along his shoulder and neck nipping at their juncture.

Goosebumps raised across his entire body. Desire, currently held at bay was crashing at the gates demanding release. He was uncertain how much longer this could go on before he lost all control.

Beckett was aware that Castle's hands were fisted at his sides and he was shaking with response. She moved to his back still tracing patterns with her mouth but needing to move away from the intensity of his gaze. Her control was slipping with each ragged breath he made. The taste of him, the smell of him, _and the feel_ of him was driving her over the edge. Glancing at the phone on the couch caused her heart to catch.

She was out of time.

As quickly as she could she moved away from him and towards the door; grabbing her bag and her coat along the way.

She ignored the strangled sound he made as she went.

The buzzer sounded on the phone and he was after her in a flash, catching her as she swung the door open.

"Truth or Dare" he hissed hoarsely.

She stood blinking at him. She knew that she could just flip him and be gone, but she just stood there.

She wet her lips and watched his blue eyes focus there.

"Truth" she whispered back, still not moving.

The surprise in his eyes was real.

Castle hadn't expected a response. He had expected her to flee.

He cleared his throat.

"Do you want me? _Need me?" _

Panic flashed in her eyes. He loomed closer mouth hovering above hers; his eyes searing into hers.

She swallowed. "_Always_"

It was a whisper of a word, but it rang in his head like a temple bell.

He closed the distance and claimed her mouth with his. For a moment she responded, tongues clashing and dueling. He felt dizzy. Before he was able to bring her to him completely, she slipped his grasp and was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Castle has really frustrated me on this one... He would NOT let me in on his little secret...his little game. I'm sure he told my muse, but she giggled and refused to share. I still think they are holding out on me...**

Castle stared at the empty space where she had been.

His heart hammered against his chest…his still exposed chest.

Swallowing again he closed his eyes and let his head fall against the door frame. Tremors continued to move through him as he struggled to regain control; both of his body and his emotions. By the time he pulled back and closed the door a tiny kernel of burning frustration had begun to build in the pit of his stomach.

It took a long and cold shower to regain some sanity… However, it had done nothing to mitigate the inclination to shake Katherine Beckett until her teeth rattled. Not that he believed he could really accomplish such a task without serious repercussions, but the sentiment was there.

One way or another she was going to have to answer for this. Biting his lip he sat down at his computer and…

He stared at it.

He had nothing.

His mind was still sparking from bursts of memory translated into currents streaking across nerve endings.

Great. How was he to actually plan and plot revenge or at least a coherent conversation with the woman, when his traitorous body continued to plague him?

….slowly, however, he started to smile.

Wickedly.

* * *

She was sitting at her desk typing case notes for the DA when the steaming coffee was set in front of her. Somehow she managed to freeze for only a moment before continuing to type. Unconsciously, however, she had started worrying her lower lip. If at all possible she wanted to pretend that she didn't remember anything of last night; anything of her outrageous behavior; anything of the way her body had tightened and clenched when she touched him. She wanted to pretend that there had been nothing more than an incredible headache; that she hadn't wakened twisted in the sheets and panting with need… ; that she hadn't taken far longer than it should have to forget his taste and let sleep claim her…

He didn't say anything…_for once_. Oddly, that irritated her more than if he had launched into a long winded string of innuendo, or even if he would have simply confronted her. She chewed harder on her lip, sucking it into her mouth…

Castle spotted her typing furiously at her desk as he entered the office and almost turned tail and ran back into the elevator. Ryan walked by and gave a cherry hello, which halted further contemplations of escape. Instead, he swallowed and made himself walk nonchalantly into the office where he set her morning coffee beside her.

He felt a flare of frustrated anger at her non-response; _or rather_…_he felt a flare of frustrated anger __**before **_he watched her start to nibble at her lower lip and watched the small frown line appear between her brows.

AHA! She _was _flustered!

He was working on how to start…when he found himself watching her teeth and tongue work at her lip more and more. As she sucked it into her mouth he blinked, and was again transported to imagery from the night before; both the reality and his fantasy.

She finally could not take it any longer and tilted her head to glare at him. He was still standing and he had a glazed look on his face; he looked positively transfixed.

The air whooshed out of her and she just stared back at him.

It was only when a smirking Esposito walked by waggling his eyebrows at her that she shook herself out of her fugue state.

"Will you sit down! People are starting to stare", she hissed.

He blinked back at her for a moment, but he sat down.

He was watching her with speculative eyes now… So much for pretending intoxicated amnesia.

"There hasn't been a murder this morning Castle…why are you here?" She flinched slightly at the caustic tone she heard coming out of her mouth. Especially when she saw his eyes narrow at her. He had every legitimate reason to be angry with her and she had no standing in this argument whatsoever. It wasn't a position she was used to being in.

He leaned in close…very close. She could feel his warm breath against her ear and almost closed her eyes at the sensation it caused in her abdomen.

"We should talk" he said softly.

Husky rumble …it danced down her spine. She swallowed.

"About?"

She wanted to sound casual. Instead she heard a tremor in her voice. She gritted her teeth. He pushed further into her and if anyone was looking God only knew what they must be thinking.

_Images of money exchanging hands and knowing smirks and grins flitted across her imagination_.

"About a little piece of the next book. I'm stuck in this one spot and I think you could help me through the block."

_Book? _

She reared back and turned to face him. He was watching her closely…so closely that she wanted to squirm like a guilty suspect. "You want my help?"

He nodded and his face remained calm, but his eyes were boring into hers with way more intensity than she was ready to handle.

The sounds of the squad room had receded and she felt the place closing in around her.

Casually he leaned back in his chair and picked up his coffee again.

"Yeah, it's just this one part that seems to be frustrating me…"

"And you think I can help?" Her tone was half question, half exasperation. She knew he was playing at something. It could not be anything else_. He owed her for last night_.

…God help her, but she wanted to know what his price was going to be…

Eyes twinkling he faced her again. "Oh Katherine, you can help in so many ways".

[][][]

_He thought he heard something in the bathroom, but wasn't certain… Given past events, he could be forgiven for being paranoid. He grabbed a frying pan from under the kitchen counter. He should really invest in a gun at some point. _

_Heart beating loudly in his ears he crept up to the door; it was pushed against the frame but not closed. Leaning in he tried to see through the small crack. He couldn't see anything, but steam curled against the door smelling of…._

_Cherry blossoms._

_He froze._

_Gingerly, he reached out and slowly pushed at the door…_

_Nikki propped her head against her arms at the tub's edge and smirked at him from across the room. Long hair pinned casually and messily up out of the water, which steamed and frothed with bubbles. _

_He couldn't bring himself to move. His body had tightened and his mouth had gone dry. _

"_You gonna stand there and hold that frying pan all night Rook, or are you going to come here."_

_Huh?_

_OH…frying pan, right! He stared at it for a moment then set it down on the counter top. When he looked back she hadn't moved. Her eyes were still smoldering at him. _

_Finding his legs he walked over to the tub, making a show of far more confidence than he felt. The bubbles covered everything except the silken skin of her back. He swallowed when she tipped her head back to look at him licking her lips._

_Without warning she surged up and out of the tub, pressing herself against him. Her water clad skin soaking through his button down shirt. _

_His hands came up and around her. To steady her, his mind lied. To touch her heated skin… his body whispered. Hot and wet skin sluicing water down him…..  
_

[][][]

Abruptly, Beckett surged up and out of her seat heading for the elevator then changing direction and heading to the bathroom instead. She'd left everything at her desk, so she couldn't flee the office. She'd left those pages on her desk….

It didn't occur to her that they could be read by the boys until she met her own dark and startled eyes in the mirror over the sink. She shook herself. _No_, Castle would not let that happen… she thought… Hoped?

Reaching out, Beckett ran the cold water and gratefully splashed it against her face. Just how in the hell was she going to get out of this? Was it wrong to pray for murder?

When she straightened again and looked in the mirror it was to meet his. She swallowed and suppressed the urge to groan. In annoyance or need?, her traitorous mind asked. Frustration by any name….

His eyes held amusement. "You didn't finish."

"I didn't fin…" she was sputtering. "You have got to be kidding me! You don't honestly think to publish that…that…well…" She waved her arm at him and let herself hide behind her anger. "It would ruin me!"

He stepped closer and she stopped speaking. "Ruin you? I doubt it. Nothing could ruin you. You are too good."

"Compliment all you want Castle. You want my opinion, my help? Don't…even…think…about putting that in your next book!"

He stepped closer yet again; enough that she backed up and hit the edge of the sink.

He put his hands on either side of her… "We never did finish our little game did we Kate?"

Her anger drained away and she found herself thinking; _paybacks really are a bitch_.


End file.
